Embattled Today host Matt Lauer may soon be fired by NBC if the tanking morning show's fortunes don't turn around fast, according to a new report.Lauer’s popularity has plummeted in the past year, according to the New York Times, and execs met with the staff to discuss the show's struggle

Staff members were alleged told that, “what matters most is the anchor connection to the audience; what we need to work on is that connection.”“What they meant was Matt. But no one would say it,” one senior staff member told the Times about the meeting held to to discuss Today focus group data.Lauer was not at that meeting.Employees who spoke to the Times said that Lauer may be flat-out fired soon, but at best, his contract will not be renewed when it expires in 2014.It’s a stunning blow and dramatic downturn for a sexy beast who has helmed a morning show powerhouse for many years and makes $25 million per.That all feels like ancient history now, though.The firing of Ann Curry, and how poorly Lauer and NBC handled it, is largely seen as the catalyst for this fiasco. The question is whether it can be reversed.A source at the show says on the condition of anonymity:“The staff doesn’t like to see Matt lose his job, but it’s time for a change. It’s just too bad that the network fumbled the entire situation with Ann and Matt.""Network bosses just gave Matt too much power.”How bad has it gotten? Lauer’s Q Rating, a standard used to measure popularity, crashed from 19 to 9 from last September to January 2013.That sent NBC scrambling to rehab their anchor’s image, with Lauer speaking out recently and saying his bosses were to blame for the Curry debacle.